Peach Shortbread Cobbler

Time with my sister and her fiance was priceless. And her future mother in law had a delightful time as well. I mean seriously.. look how cute they are? And don't we make a cute looking family? Alright.. I'll stop tooting our horns..

We were so happy to have them come and stay and so sad to see them have to go. But such is life, right? Everything comes and goes, much like the peach season.

We are at the very end of the peach season here and I got in just at the right moment at the farmer's market and ended up with a whole box full! For those who don't know me, I absolutley love peaches and pears. Those are my two favorite fruits in the known world (we won't get into the unknown today).

I love a really good cobbler, but I also love a really nice shortbread, so I thought I would try combining the two concepts and adding a little whole wheat to make this less of a sin and more of a heavenly treat! And kids! Did this ever work perfectly! Try it out with the last peaches of the season! You won't regret this last taste of summer!

Peach Cobbler with Shortbread

Shortbread topping:

4 tablespoons butter

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup

5 tablespoons baking Splenda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1/3 cup fat free half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon all spice

1/2 cup pecans

1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat stirring occasionally with a whisk until the butter turns caramel colored and smells fragrant, approximately 6-8 minutes. Pour into a small dish and place in the freezer to cool the butter down.

2. Pour the flour, baking soda, baking powder, maple syrup, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Then add the cooled butter and continue pulsing until the mixture looks like a coarse meal and smells divine! Add the sour cream, half and half, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, and all spice. Continue pulsing until a dough forms. Place in a large bowl and refrigerate until we are ready to assemble.

For the filling:

8 cups fresh peaches; sliced with skins on

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons baking Splenda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon all spice

1/2 cup pecans; chopped

3. Combine the peach slices, flour, splenda, cinnamon, and all spice in a large bowl turning to coat each of the peach slices. Spread the peach mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 X 12 baking dish.

4. Next, grab the shortcake topping out of the fridge and glob (yes-- this is a technical term here) mounds of the shortcake mixture over the peaches. Spread it liberally over the top. It doesn't have to be perfect, just make sure most of the peaches are covered. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans

5. Place the cobbler in a 325 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes. Then cover with foil and turn the oven down to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 45-55 minutes or until the peaches are bubbling with extreme enthusiasm (once again a technical term). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream! Oooh La La!

Mental Health Tip: The end of summer always makes me feel a little whimsical.. nostalgic. It always reminds me of the end of Dirty Dancing where the cast is singing that end of summer song and they have the dance. I can't dance like that, but I can cook and especially now living on the lake, people really do pack up and leave for warmer destinations like Arizona and California to escape our beautiful winters. What helps me is to take these little gems I call peaches and live another moment of summer in a simple dessert.

Enjoy and happy fall!

~ Us cute "Hot Messes"